Flickers
by Syringe Rat
Summary: With her powers growing more and more each day, Stella is a veritable time bomb. Not only a danger to earth, she also harnesses the energy to wipe out the solar system. Torn between the Avengers initiative and Loki, God of Mischief, she must learn to control or expel the force that lays within her, or go down in flames with the rest of her galaxy.
1. Prologue

Hiiii! Welp, I have never written anything outside of bandom's before. It's been a good long time since I've written _anything _to be honest! But since Avengers came out I've had this little idea bouncing around in my head (which was initially just smut until I built the rest of the story around it, judge me) I thought I would open up my word processor and get to work. I would also really like to point out that nothing will be as it appears... It's not going to be one of those failed experiments gone wrong cliches (which is another reason it's taken a month or so to start writing) I would love to hear feedback from you guys! I feel like seven pages is too short, even for an intro. Let me know if it feels too quick. Constructive critics are always welcome. Enough of my rambling. Enjoy :)

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**(Prologue: Flickers)**

"And the humans, what can they do, but burn?" Loki stood listening to the Other speak to his benefactor with little to no interest. The Chitauri were necessary, he liked them no more than he liked the pitiful human race he would soon be ruling, but if they truly did help him as Thanos said they would, he would tolerate the monsters.

The Other backed away from Thanos, submissively as Loki approached from the shadows, now giving the being before him his utmost attention. The desolate blackness of the edge of the universe was starting to enclose him like a physical thing. The time he had been stranded in this accursed place was almost enough to drive him mad. No matter the knowledge he had gained from the monster that now stood before him. He wished to be far away from here, even the earth would be more sufficient then this black hell.

"She will be of great use to you. Find her and she will give you what you seek and more." Loki's fingers tightened on the scepter and nodded. The thought of a mortal being as extraordinary as Thanos seemed to believe she was did not seem plausible to him at all. A sneer crossed his thin lips, hard as he tried to fight it. Thanos chuckled deeply, a smile of dark amusement twisting his face as he turned away from the banished Asgardian. _The would-be king had no idea what he would be getting himself into._ "She is not what appears to be, what lies within her could alter everything. I want her back here once you've made use of her."

Loki nodded again, finally turning to retreat down the dark staircase. Annoyed that Thanos would give him no more information then that he paced the barren landing, preparing himself for whatever lay beyond. Not that he was worried, the journey would weaken him, yes, but he would still be far more powerful than any mortal. He had healed sufficiently since his fall through the void, it had torn him apart yet made him ten times stronger. In some strange way it was like being reborn…

Inhaling deeply, he held the scepter firmly in front of him, reaching with his mind, probing the Tesseract. He felt it hum as it started to unlock the portal to the world that lay light years beyond where he stood. Bright blue light enveloped him, tugging him forward though the universe. He saw flashes of nebula's, seas of stars, unnamed galaxies and worlds flicker in and out of sight. He felt compressed, it was almost painful, though not nearly as painful as the abyss had been. He almost sighed with relief as the burning blue light became brighter. Hunching down he reading himself for the impact, energy rushed past him, squeezing, suffocating until finally he was there, he could breathe.

Clutching the scepter, he looked up as his surroundings, sweat coating his face and a triumphant, sinister grin stretching across his lips. He was breathing heavily and felt feverish, but he was here and in one piece. His ice green eyes narrowed as he glanced around the room, watching as a handful of foolish humans slowly advanced on him.

"Sir! Please put down the spear!" Loki looked down at the scepter in his hand. _'Now for some fun…'_

**15 years earlier.**

_Stella Anwar glared at the frills on the dress her mother had forced her into, kicking her tiny, Mary Jane clad feet against the tiles of kitchen floor as her hair was dressed and put into ribbons. It was hot and sticky in their kitchen, the southern heat had settled over their house like a wet blanket. Six year old Stella didn't care who was getting married that day, all she wanted to do was play down by the pond with her dogs._

_Across the table, four year old Missy glanced at her sister reproachfully. Her own honey colored hair hair already done, small hands daintily smoothing out the pink and white ruffles that made up her own dress. Stella stuck her tongue out at her little sister, fidgeting again in her seat as her mother tugged on a lock of hair. _

_"Stella, please sit still, I'm almost done." Annette Anwar pressed on her daughter's shoulders with a sigh, running her fingers through the soft ringlets she had created in the little girl's tangled mane of light brown hair. Annette knew her attempts at keeping her rambunctious child's appearance as that of a porcelain doll were futile. She was nothing like her sister and refused to even consider behaving. She would be lucky if the girl kept herself in one piece by the time they got to her sisters wedding._

_"But I don't want to go!" The girl whined "I hate weddings and it's too stuffy and hot in this ugly dress!"_

_"It will only be for a few hours and then you can go play. Just don't mess up your clothes or your hair until after the pictures are taken, okay?" Annette sighed, tucking the last curl behind Stella's ear "I'm going to go get ready, go find your daddy downstairs and tell him to hurry up. He can finish his work when he gets home."_

_Annette straightened up, walking out of the small kitchen and up the staircase to the bathroom, Missy trailing behind her like a curious kitten. _

_Beaming, Stella hopped down from the chair, skipping out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the basement door. She yanked on the brass knob and hopped down the staircase until she reached the bottom landing, hand pressed flat against the plaster as she staring up at the electronic door that now barred her way. She hesitantly tried to push the door open but was met with a loud beeping noise. She glared at the keypad as it squawked in a metallic voice 'Password!'_

_"Open up!" The little girl snapped at the device. She grinned happily as the doors slid open silently after a bright green light appeared on the touch screen next to the space a door handle should have been. Her father had been gotten so tired of his older daughter banging on the steel door that he had programmed it to open at her voice. She was told she was only allowed in the lab if it was extremely important though. _

_Stella walked into the room slowly, the harsh florescent lights making her squint her eyes as she looked around the large space. It stretched out farther than the limits of the tiny house her family resided in, there was another entrance to the lab in the barn at least an acre away from the house. She looked around the room when her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, the small heels on her little black shoes clicked against the floor "Daddy?" she called, as she approached the desk he primarily worked at. _

_Her father not in sight, she pranced up to the desk, climbing into the chair to look at all of the technical papers and gadgets he had scattered across it. She traced her fingers along one of the sheets in front of her, over the swirls and lines of atoms that were strewn across the page. She often heard her father and mother discussing the things he worked on down in the basement. He spoke of fire, and things hotter than fire. He wanted to make something that would repel it completely, or harness it... Stella didn't understand what those things meant but she knew what her father did was very important. Men in black suits would often appear at their house unannounced and enter the basement, carrying boxes and suitcases full of things he had made for them. _

_Stella scooted the chair back, spinning herself around and around in it until she was dizzy and giggling happily. It wasn't often she was allowed down here, especially by herself. There were so many fun toys she wasn't allowed to play with and devices that were too dangerous for her to touch. Her gaze flickered around the room as she heard a surge of energy and a sparkle of light. There was a door off to the side of the room that was ajar. Brilliant blue beams erupted from it every few moments as she watched curiously._

_Cautiously sliding off the chair she crept towards the room, her eyes alight with curiosity. She put her small hand out and opened the white door, gasping as she entered a stark room. In the center a sphere hung, glowing blue and white, hurting her small eyes as she wanted it pulse. The white walls seemed to grow brighter with each throb of energy that emanated from the sphere of light. It was so pretty... Stella was enthralled, she knew she would be in a heap of trouble but her curiosity was too great to back away from such a pretty object. It was light and warm, how could it be bad? This didn't look like fire to her._

_Looking behind her surreptitiously, her father still not in sight, walked towards the sphere, standing right in front of it. It seemed to beckon to her with each pulse of light, drawing the little girl closer like a moth to flame. Hesitantly she reached out her fingers, holding her breath as her hand reached the light. Her grey eyes widened and a gasp reverberated around the room. The light and energy rushed up her tiny arm, under her skin, sending tiny shocks through her system until her whole body was illuminated. Stella whimpered and tried to pull her arm away but could not move it. Each rush of the sphere's power sent a jolt of brightness throughout the room, making the florescent lights that hung from the ceiling hum and flicker and buzz louder and louder. She started to cry trying to tug her arm free terror coursing through her._

_As the humming reached it's peak and the light was the brightest of whites she yanked her arm away once more, toppling over as all of the lights in the room fizzled and died. Scrambling her to feet she brushed bolted out of the room, racing out of the lab and up the flight of creaky wooden stairs._

_Stella slammed into something hard as she turned in the hall to run upstairs. Her father looked down at her, doing up his tie as his brow furrowed in concern "What's wrong, baby doll?" He bent down and scooped the trembling girl up in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck, shivering as each shock from the blue energy jolted through her tiny body._

_Terrified of what would happen if she told him the truth, she scrambled quickly to compile a good lie "Mommy said you were downstairs and I couldn't find you so I thought you left." She sobbed._

"_Aw baby." He squeezed her gently "I'm right here, don't worry. I haven't left." _

_Stella nodded, sniffing as he carried her into the kitchen, setting her on the table as he fastened his cufflinks. Annette's high heeled shoes came clicking down the stairs as Stella continued to shiver lightly. Why did she have to touch it? It was dangerous after all. It made her insides feel funny and achey. She they were being torn apart and put back together again._

"_Stella what's wrong?" Annette came into the kitchen, Missy in her arms. Her mother placed her free hand on her oldest daughters forehead, stroking it gently with loving fingertips as she looked down in concern "You're shaking! I hope you're not coming down with something. You were fine a few minutes ago…"_

"_She just had a scare, Annie." Her father said, leaning over to kiss his wife on the cheek "She thought I had left already."_

"_Sweetheart!" Annette leaned down to kiss Stella on the cheek "We would never leave without you, honey." Missy scowled and stuck her tongue out at her sister but started giggling moments later, making Stella smile._

_Annette walked over to the counter to grab her purse, swinging it over her shoulder as she motioned for Stella to follow her to the car "The wedding will be over soon baby, then you can come home and play."_

_Stella could hardly hold still throughout the ceremony, each tiny jolt of power sent shudders down her spine. The heat of the day wasn't helping either, the air was so thick she could hardly draw breathe. Squirming in her seat every so often, her parents would look at her out of the corner of their eyes, worry radiating off of them. Biting her lip she wondered if she aught to tell them the truth about what happened in the basement. They had told her time and time again that she wasn't to play with the things her father kept down there, that they were dangerous. They would be so angry and disappointed in her._

_Sheer terror jolted through her when she looked at her fingers and saw blue sparks dance across her fingertips. Hiding them in the lacy folds of her dress she prayed that no one would see them. Was it magic? Was magic supposed to hurt? The surge of power, accompanied by the heat of the sun was making her dizzy and achey. Oh, when would this stop? _

_She frowned as she watched her aunt lean forward, grinning at her new husband as they kissed for the first time as man and wife. Looking down at her fingers again she watched the sparks seep into her skin, tickling her before settling. She couldn't feel it anymore. Her body had stopped vibrating with nervous and she felt normal again._

_Stella looked around in some confusing. It was over? Just like that? She took a deep breath and exhaled, relief filled her as all of the buzzing and jolts of pain had ceased. She felt like her normal self again. She glanced at her fingers, making sure the glint of blue had vanished._

_A smile spread across her face as the happy couple retreated down the aisle. It was over. She could go home and take off this ridiculous frilly, hot dress. Annette caught Stella's arm as they stood, preparing to leave the small meadow the wedding was held in, towards the large white tent that held the reception "Stella, are you sick honey?" Stella looked up into her mothers worried face and smiled brightly. _

"_No momma, I'm feeling better now." Annette's shoulders relaxed visibly as she took her daughters hand, leading her towards the canvas. The wind was picking up, fluttering their dresses about their legs as they slowly made their way across the field. Stella looked down at the silken pathway under their feet and flowered arches over their head. Each gust of window knocked petals down from it, showing them both in pink._

_She could hear her little sister giggling uproariously and clapping behind them as the petals rained upon them "Storm's coming!" Her father called from behind them. Annette and Stella looking up at the sky, sure enough, forbidding black clouds were rolling in from the north. It would be pouring within the hour._

_They four entered the tent, met with soft music and the smell of delicious food. Stella sighed, noting caring in the least as she pulled on her mother hand "Can I…?"_

_Annette merely sighed, patting Stella on the head "Yes!" She said with exasperation "Go play, but don't get too dirty."_

_With a squeal and a grin the little girl dashed off through the forrest of legs, out of the huge tent, big enough to fit a circus and out into the golden field. She knew this area well, having gone on picnics here with her family. The sun was still shining in front of her as she rain through the tall grass. The black clouds behind her as she rain with each gust of wind. It seemed to carry her further, pulling her faster towards the sunshine. She raced up the hill toward the giant, crooked oak tree. There was a pond beyond that, it was a veritable lake and Stella intended to be knee deep in it and throwing rocks. Nice dress be damned. She had a rough morning and she deserved some fun!_

_Skipping through the golden grass she skidded to a halt in front of the sparkling waters edge, carefully taking off her shoes and socks, placing them on a nearby rock. The call of ducks to her left caught her attention and she grinned, wishing she had breadcrumbs to feed the feathered creatures. She watched the splash about for a few moments before turning her attention to the rocks beneath her bare feet. Making sure the ducks were a safe distance from her, she flung one of the rocks into the middle of the pond, watching the water splash and ripple at the disturbance. _

_She bent down again, the wind picking up, tossing her brown curls over her shoulders and into her face as she grabbed a smooth, flat stone from the bank. She angled it and tossed it with all of her might, watching it sink to the bottom of the pond. She sighed in disappointment. Her father had told her it takes a lot of practice to make the stones skip. _

_Her hopes did not waver as she failed to skip each stone she picked up. She stood there, ankle deep in the water for at least half an hour, the golden glow the sun had cast on the rippling water was almost gone, replaced by the grayness from the clouds above._

_A clap of thunder from above her made Stella jump, almost slipping in the cool water. She held out her arms to balance herself as she looked up. The sky above her was almost pitch black, each roll of thunder practically shook the ground beneath her feet. She glanced behind her, staring at the top of the tent that lay behind the hill with the twisted oak tree. She ought to go back… Before it started raining and her dress was ruined. _

_A harsh gust of warm wind tugged playfully at her hair, making her turn back to the pond with a smile, but of course she didn't need to go back yet… No one had called her! The thunder was getting louder, accompanied with forks of lightning through the sky, reflecting in the water under her feet. More beautiful, dangerous things… Her mother had always made her come in during lightning storms. She remembered the terror in her voice when she was calling for her to get inside, out of the field she and the dogs were playing in…_

_After this morning she was more inclined to listen to what her parents said was dangerous._

_Quickly reaching down to grab one more stone, she threw it as hard as she could, shrieking with glee as the rock skipped, once, twice, three times, four times, across the surface of the water. She had finally done it! _

_Leaping up into the air in triumph she let out a whoop of happiness, wait until she told her father "I did it!" _

_Stella clapped a hand over her ears as the thunder gave a roar louder than those she had previously heard, looking up she saw a great flash brightness above her. Lightning? She did not know, she didn't have time to process it as it tumbled from the sky, hitting her squarely in her small face. The flash of light illuminated the field, followed by a reverberating crash. Her scream rang out across the darkness as rain started to fall. _

_Her small body lay in the center of a crater that destroyed the pond completely, she twitched and convulsed, opening her mouth to scream again but closing it immediately as a luminescence emanated out of it. Casting bright lights around the dark crater. Her skin sparked and tingled, more so than it had when she had touched the sphere. She was **glowing**! Her entire body was glowing dimly as rain poured down from overhead. _

_Stella couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening, her head felt full, too full and hot. Like her blood was boiling. She started to cry softly, whimpering and calling for her mother. She didn't know what all the stuff that had happened today meant, she didn't know what was in her fathers work room and she didn't know what fell from the sky and hit her. It was like liquid fire was taking over her being._

"_Stella?" A shriek came from above "Stella, where are you?"_

"_Mommy!" Stella tried to yell, her voice a tiny croak, a smaller flicker of light escaped her mouth this time, dying as soon as it appeared like a flashlight that needed a new lightbulb._

"_Stella! Oh my God, James! Come quickly. Call an ambulance." She saw the fuzzy outline of her parents and several guests from the wedding clambering down into the crater. Her father wrapped her up in his arms, his face stark white with fear as he gently picked her up. The glow of her skin had vanished by the time they had reached her_

"_James, what if she was struck by lightening?" Annette hissed, she was shaking with pure terror as she stroked Stella's damp curls away from her forehead "She's so hot. Too hot." _

"_I don't know Annie…" Was all he would say as they carried the little girl out of the crater, past the bystanders in soaked through wedding attire and down the hill of tall golden grass, painted grey by the clouds above. _

Stella woke with a start, her eyes frantically sweeping the room, her skin was hot again, so hot. _'No no no, calm down, callllm down.'_ she tried to reason with herself as the panic bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to engulf her _'It was just a dream, just a dream.' _Running her fingers through her long hair, she shuffled across her room, opening to door to hurry into the bathroom. Once the door was closed she flicked on the lights and turned on the cold water, leaning down to drench her face as she pressed her hands to her fevered skin.

Taking several shuddering breathes she looked up at her refection. Her tired grey eyes were dark with shadows, mixed with her stark skin and sunken cheeks she was starting to look like the dead, as well as dream about them.

Stella tilted her head back, letting the cool water trickle down her throat as she took another shuddering gulp of air. _'This doesn't need to get messy, just calm down…'_

She looked down at her glowing hands, willing away the blue fire that lay under her skin.

_'Don't want to kill these people too...'_


	2. Chapter One

**AN:** _Omg, forgive me for taking so long to update this. I have never had so much trouble with a chapter in my LIFE. I wanted it to be perfect xD I was also bombarded with TDKR and Bane feelings for a few weeks. But now that I've surpassed this stupidly difficult chapter (that was rage fueled near the middle lol) I should hopefully get updates sooner... But don't hold me to that because I'm inconsistent ect. Loki will make his appearance soon, I promise! Please let me know what you think? Do you feel I rushed anything? Left details out? Reviews make me so happy :) Anyway, enough babbling. Enjoy! _

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Marvel ect ect._

**Chapter One**

"You look horrible." Katie said through a mouthful of Frosted Flakes, eyeing Stella as she stumbled into the kitchen towards the coffee pot. Bleary eyed and grouchy from lack of sleep, she had been too afraid to shut her eyes the previous night, terrified of what might happen if she did. Fourteen year old Melody snickered at the look on her adopted sisters face as Stella poured a mug of plain black coffee.

"Kate!" Snapped Jessica as she bustle into the kitchen in Stella's wake. She gave her daughter a reproachful look as she slipped past the older girl to take the pan of sizzling bacon off the stove.

"What! She does…"

"Be nice."

Muttering under her breath Stella sat across from her sister at the table, sipping her bitter coffee, hopping it would wake her up enough so she wouldn't fall asleep during school "You had another bad dream last night didn't you?" Katie murmured, her voice now sympathetically. Stella shrugged, tracing the abstract designs on the warm coffee mug in her hands "You always look tired like that when you have bad dreams."

"Katelyn…" Jessica said warningly "Please stop pestering your sister, she doesn't want to talk about it. Eat your cereal and go get ready for school."

Stella smiled weakly at her foster mother as Katie scowled and grumbled. Katie didn't need to know about her accident. Her father had told her when she had woken up on the couch that she had been struck by lightning. She remembered hearing her mother and father talking about it when they thought she was asleep. She remembered her father saying that the project he was working on had failed, it had also shattered all of the overhead lights. Stella had felt sick with anxiety that made her skin too hot when she thought about telling them what happened. She wished she had told them know, maybe it could have given her more insight into the accident, if not stop it completely.

Katie took one last huge bite of cereal and hopped off the chair, setting her dish in the sink as she scooted out the of kitchen and up the stairs. Jessica set a plate of eggs and bacon down on the table and leaned over to kiss Stella's forehead gently, petting her brown hair away from her face "Thanks, mom."

Jessica and her husband Andy had found little Stella wandering around the waterfront, filthy and terrified. They had cared for her for twelve years, even though they had little to give and a child of their own. They didn't know the risk they were taking, Stella was volatile, dangerous. But no incident like the one that had left her an orphan had occurred. They loved her as their own child and it was all Stella could have asked for. They were unaware that she was different or special. All the couple saw was a little girl who needed help.

"Sure, hon."

Stella smiled up at her foster mother and leaned her face against the comforting hand before standing up. She took one last gulp of coffee before placing the mug on the counter, turning to grab a few pieces of bacon. Stuffing the food in the mouth she exited the room, sprinting up the stairs two at a time. She pounded on her sisters door on the way to her own room, giggling as she heard Katie shriek in surprise and yell at her.

Shutting her bedroom door behind her she padded over to her small wardrobe, pulling out a pair of worn jeans and a long sleeves blouse. Throwing her nightshirt across the room she yanked on her jeans and pulled on her shirt, shivering in pleasure as the November chill nipped at her exposed flesh. Her skin was always warm, deep beneath the surface it burned and and surged, hotter than her body should have allowed. The New York winters were her godsend, the cold quelling the ache that flowed through her veins.

She moved towards the mirror above her dresser as she straightened out her shirt, standing on her toes examining her appearance. Her face was round with pale skin, her lips were full and her bright hazel eyes were rimmed with dark shadows from lack of sleep. With a sigh dug around her dresser and pulled out a pair of socks, slipping them over her feet before grabbing her boots and a hoodie.

The nightmares had been steadily worsening over the past few weeks, she didn't understand why. All of her dreams had relatively vanished after the night of the accident, like they were too afraid to appear again.

Her skin glowed blue every time she awoke from them now, every night, just like in her nightmares. Blue fire, white light, screams, smoke and heat. Her previous life was a mere memory now, the cruel reminders of that every time she closed her eyes at night drove her mad. The living hell she was thrown into stemmed from nothing more than child's bad dream. Through the ashes of that life she was reborn, not into a golden bird of beauty and light, but to a soot blackened monster. She was the ash, the cinders, the ruins. She was blue and black, simmering fire. She had crawled from the dust of her home a monster, she had bought all of the anguish she constantly felt upon herself...

Shuddering, Stella yanked her mind out of her dark train of thought, yanking on her gloves as she walked out of her bedroom. She was about to knock on Katie's door when she heard the raised voices in the hallway outside of their apartment. Wincing as the door down the hall slammed shut. She knew who it was and what was going on of course, it was a Thursday. "Katie, hurry up we're going to be late!"

Walking hesitantly over towards the window next to the staircase, looking down at the large black SUV that was parked outside the front door. Kyle and Rodney Angelo stood leaning against the doors, cigarettes between their fingers as they waited for the muscle to return with their goods. She scowled as Rodney looked up at her, waving with a smirk on his face. He was good looking she supposed. Tall, broad shouldered, painfully Italian with dark slicked back hair and a pinstriped suit. His handsome features were spoiled by his cruelty though. He enjoyed his job far too much.

"Mom!" Stella called "We're going to school! See you later."

Not waiting for a reply she opened the front door tiptoeing down the hall to the stairs as silently as the could. The yelling grew louder and louder from the room down the hall, making the hair on the back of Stella's neck stand on end. The two girls hazily slipped out of the apartment, hurrying down the cracked cement steps and on to the sidewalk. Stella let out the breath she had not known she was holding as they started to walk towards the bus stop.

"Hello, Stella!" Wincing, she stopped in her tracks.

She had hoped that Kyle and Rodney would have just left them alone. Stella and Katie stood stock still a few yards away from the SUV, watching the two suited men warily

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" Rodney's smirk was still firmly plastered to his lips as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks.

"Divine." Stella said dryly. She made to grab Katie and continue down the street towards the bus stop, but Rodney held up a finger, a warning look on his face.

"Not so fast…" His voice was low and make her skin prickle with disgust as he leered at her "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Late for school." She said through gritted teeth as she glared at the man before her. He gave her a sickly sweet smile, a smile that didn't quite veil the spark of rage and desire that always lingered in them when he watched her.

"Off you go then. I will see you soon…"

Stella all but dragged Katie down the block. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest and her palms were sweaty. That fucking man! He made her absolutely ill. Her mind flashed back to the evening he personally visited the Gleeson's. She could still hear the screams of Blake Gleeson's wife through the thin walls, as he yelled that he would have what they wanted soon.

Stella felt Katie lean against her side, putting an arm around her waist as they walked. Stella took a deep, calming breath as she placed her arm over sisters shoulders as the stood at the bus stop, a crease marring the oldest girls brow as she frowned deeply. All of the worst case scenario's always played through her mind when Rodney Angelo was around.

As the bus picked up speed Stella gazed out the window tiredly. She could already tell this was not going to be her day by the throbbing pain that resonated behind her eyelids, she hopped it wouldn't turn into a full blown migraine...

'No, I'm not going to think about that, focus on something else Stella!' She rubbed her face with the flat of her palms, glancing around the crowded bus as the noise level picked up. She focused her attention on the two boys that had just entered the bus. They took the empty seat in front of Stella and her sister, talking loudly and excitedly.

"Iron man! He's calling himself Iron man!"

"Really? That's kind of dumb…"

"Shut up man, he's a total bad ass. You saw the footage on the news!"

_What's an Iron man…?_ Stella's brow creased in confusion as her eyes flicked between the two boys.

"Yeah, whatever. He's Tony Stark, he isn't "super hero" material." The other boy argued, air quotes accompanying his statement.

Tony Stark… That name sounded familiar. He made weapons didn't he? The name Stark had popped up in school more than once. She had never cared enough to take note about him though. But what's this about super heroes?

"What did Tony Stark do?" Stella pipped up, unable to contain herself as she scooted to the edge of her seat to hear the two boys better.

"Oh, he made some sort of crazy iron super suit and saved a bunch of people. He survived being held captive in the middle east for like, six months or something. He also has this crazy glowing box in his chest. What was it called again, Alex?"

"An arc reactor, James. I told you that." Said the other boy, irritably, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

James rolled his eyes at Alex "I don't care though. She does." He said, jerking his head in her general direction.

"Oh, I see. I'll have to look into that… Sounds interesting!" Stella leaned back in her seat as the two boys put their heads together once more. It was clear they didn't want to talk to her so she kept her mouth shut, still listening hard, hoping the one boy would continue to speak on the subject.

Before they could continue their conversation could continue though, a football zoomed across the bus, hitting James' head. A roar of laughter echoed around the seats behind them as James fell forward, smacking his head against the seat in front of him "Shit!"

"Oh, oh I'm sorry!" Came the extremely insincere voice of Rob Smith. He was sitting a few seats behind Stella, Melody and the two boys in front of them. A shit eating smirk on his lips as he watched them maliciously. Rob and his group of friends were so cliche if they hadn't made Stella's life miserable she would have spent the past three years laughing at them. Rob was a quarterback, he dated a cheerleader and he beat the shit out of anyone who got in his way.

"I-It's okay!" Alex stuttered, hastily handing the football back to Rob.

"What's this about Stark bein' a superhero?" Rob drawled, throwing the ball into the air and catching it effortlessly as his eyes bored menacingly into Alex.

"I, erm, he made a metal suit that is like, indestructible and he flies around saving people…" Alex was visibly terrified now. Stella could see sweat breaking out across his forehead and felt bad for him, knowing she had to step in before Rob pounced on the poor kid.

"He also beats up arrogant bullies, like you, Rob!" Stella cut in, her voice sweet as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Robs face darkened as he narrowed his eyes at her in anger, his fists clenched. The entire front of the bus had gone silent, waiting to see what he would do. The boys sitting in front of her stared, openmouthed. Kate had a small smirk on her lips as her eyes flicked between the jock and her sister. Rob might have tried to retaliate, he had risen a fraction of an inch from his seat, but the bus pulled up in front of the school at that very moment.

Stella beamed at him before grabbing her sister hand and sprinting off of the bus.

"You are crazy!" Katie laughed as they climbed the stairs "You're going to get it now. He won't forget that…"

Throwing an arm around Katie's shoulders, Stella pulled her in for a hug "Bah! I'm tough, I could take him!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Katie drew away, marching up the stairs to her locker as Stella made her way down the hall to her own. They didn't have any of the same classes together, but they had lunch. Stella hoped none of Rob's friends would give her any trouble...

Opening her locker, she grabbed a few notebooks from within, stuffing them into her bag 'Monday's… Why do they exist.' She sighed.

"You didn't have to do that you know." The two boys from the bus, Alex and James, were standing right behind her. They looked at her with gratitude and not a little awkwardness.

"Someone had to. He would have beaten you to a pulp if I hadn't stepped in. The bus drivers never care and won't safe anything in anyones defense." She shrugged. She hoped her actions had meant they would pick on her instead of James and Alex. Rob was like an animal sometimes, easily confused if too many targets pop up at once.

"Well, thanks. I appreciate it." Alex smiled awkwardly at her, quickly scurrying away, James in tow.

With a smile, Stella closed her locker, glancing down at the schedule in her free hand. She had PE after History, which galled her. Sharing a changing room with Rob's girlfriend, Jamie, did not bode well for her.

As it was, she didn't have to wait for PE to see Jamie, as she was thrown back against her locker with a loud crash, hitting her head against the metal. Blinking hard, Stella tried to right herself. She was sure there were little cartoon birds zooming around her head, or x's over her eyes as she clutched at her throbbing skull. 'Great, something to help with my previous headache..'

"That was a bad move back there." Rob hissed in her ear. Once her vision had cleared she was aware that Jamie was pressing her arms into the locker as Rob loomed over her "Why didn't you just mind your own _fucking_ business? I liked you better when you were a mute."

Jamie shot him a look but didn't say anything as Rob dragged a finger over Stella's throbbing cheek "Don't interfere again, or I will fucking burn you. Do you understand?" She didn't say anything as he gripped the hair at the back of her head, making sure to press on the huge lump that was forming.

_Burn._

_Burning…_

_Screaming._

_Fire._

_Her skin._

_Her sister._

_Her parents. _

The two teenagers had let her go and she stumbled into Mrs Anderson's history class. The bump on her head had made her feel dizzy and she all but collapsed into her chair. The headache was spreading around her skull, intensifying like they usually did. This one had more bite to it.

'_Shit.'_

Mrs Anderson bustled in, slamming some papers onto the table and she delved right into her lesson. Stella could hardly concentrate as Rob's words echoed around her head 'Burn, burn, burn, burn…' Such a simple word with little to no conviction behind it.

She rested her face over her palms, wishing they were cool enough to sooth the throbbing in her head. It was like someone was screaming, screaming at the top of their lungs in her brain. It hurt so much... This was no longer from hitting her head against the locker. Stella had gotten these migraines before, only when she was really frightened or upset, but like her nightmares, they too were getting worse and more frequent.

She could feel the stares of them behind her, hear their whispers. Her heart was beating faster and she felt herself growing warmer. She had to leave, she knew it now. Stella stood up quickly "Mrs. Andrews, I feel sick, I need the restroom." Without waiting for a reply she grabbed her bag, bolting out of the classroom and down the empty hall. Her boots clicked across the tile floor as she ran towards the girls bathroom, praying that no one else was in there as she felt heat resinating in her hands, hotter and hotter.

Bursting into the room she stumbled towards a stall, slamming the door shut behind her as she gasped for breath, shaking from head to toe. She whimpered when she looked at her glowing hands again "No, no, no." With eyes clenched tight shut, she focused on her breathing, trying to steady pounding heart. She could smell the telltale signs of smoldering fabric and looked down, groaning as she saw the sleeves of her hoodie had begun to smoke.

"Shit!"

She quickly exited the stall, moving towards the sink to quickly turn on the cold water, submersing her hands and the sleeves of her hoodie. Steam billowed from them but the heat did not dissipate. Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth she tried to quell the dread that threatened to claw itself out of her chest, engulfing her.

Stella leaned forward after several moments, running her cool, damp hands over her face as she continued to breath heavily. She heard the door open and she jumped, her eyes going wide as she glance around frantically. 'No, no, no!'

"Stella?" Katie's voice called. Stella scampered back into the stall she had previously occupied, panic spiking through her. She was still glowing! What would Katie say? What would Katie tell their parents?

"Stella are you okay? They said you were sick and that I should check on you..."

"I'm fine!" Stella said, a little desperately "You can go back to class."

"You don't sound find." her sister retorted. She could see Katie's feet under the stall door now and she stuffed her hands into her pockets before Kate opened the door.

The younger girl narrowed her eyes as she gave her sister the once over "You look like shit."she stated, closing the door behind her and crossing her arms.

"Don't swear." Mumbled Stella, her fists tightening in her hoodie. This was bad. REALLY bad.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Katie retorted with a glare "What's wrong, are you sick? Do you want me to call mom?"

"No!" Another jolt of panic and flash of heat spread across her body "No, I will be fine in a few minutes..."

A frown marred the younger girls face as she watched her sister. She had never seen Stella so... Afraid before.

Katie took a step towards Stella and felt another lurch of fear. Her hands where still hot in her pockets; no doubt they were still glowing too "Kate, stay away." Stella warned.

"Why?" Her sister looked hurt now "You've always been able to talk to me about things before… Even if you didn't want to, you'd still tell me eventually."

Stella sighed deeply, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling in desperation. Katie needed to leave, she had to get out just in case Stella couldn't keep herself in check "There's nothing to tell! I don't feel well and I want to be left alone. Just leave!"

Katie set her jaw stubbornly, completely disregarding everything Stella had said as she marched towards her. Reaching out a hand, she made to grab Stella's arm, her eyes full of determination. Jerking out of her reach, Stella quickly held her hands out in front of her, inches from her sisters body. Katie gaped at Stella's glowing hands, taking a hasty step back to get away from the blistering heat.

"What…?" Katie's eyes were huge as she stared, opened mouthed at the glowing hands before her.

Stella bit her lip hard, moving her hands behind her back "Look… It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best. Just don't tell mom, okay?"

Katie nodded, speechless for once as she watched Stella sit down on the bathroom floor, motioning for Katie to do the same.

"Mom and dad didn't tell you about how they found me, did they?" Katie shook her head and Stella continued "I was born in the south and I lived there with my birth parents and little sister Missy until I was six or so. There was an accident one day, my dad worked for the government and had a lab in the basement. I had gotten into something he was working on and it had effected me in some way. Later that day there was a thunderstorm, I was struck by lightening, or so they told me later on. That entire experience was a blur." Stella rubbed her sweating palm across her face, glad that the glowing was diminishing.

"Over the following weeks I started to feel weird. Strange things were happening to me. Like my skin glowing and my clothes turning to cinders by the day's end. No one could figure out what was wrong. My parents thought I was just getting myself into trouble. But it wasn't that. It was from the lightening strike. The heat was particularly bad if I was emotional about something. Scared, angry, and even happy. The glowing stayed mainly on my hands, which made it easy to hide from everyone. I could stick my hands into the pockets of my jeans until I was calm…" She took a deep, shuddering breath, not wanting to continue this story but knowing she had to as she watched Katie's white face. Her eyes never leaving Stella's face as she spoke.

"One night about a month after the lightening incident, I had a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare. I don't even remember what it was about now, but I can still feel the terror and fear from it. I couldn't wake up though, I felt my skin burning and I thought I was going to explode… Which I did. The fire power, or whatever the fuck this shit is, it consumed me. I couldn't control it and I just… I don't know how to explain it. I burned down the house along with my family." Katie squeaked and made to reach out to touch Stella, but she held out a hand in younger girl stilled instantly.

"I ran away after that. Stuffed a charred toy into my Barbie backpack and bolted. I don't even remember how I ended up in New York. I was wandering along the waterfront and your parents found me."

Katie sat dumbstruck, mouth open as she stared in shock and horror at Stella. Stella couldn't meet her eyes, looking down at the cracked linoleum of the bathroom floor, swallowing hard.

"So you have a superpower?" she breathed.

The glowing in her hands now subsiding, Stella sighed once more "I guess you could say that. Though there's nothing super about being a time bomb."

"Is there anything anyone can do to help? A doctor or something?" Katie inched forward now sitting next to her sister.

Stella shook her head "I'm afraid of what will happen if I go… I don't want to be some sort of experiment for them to poke and prod. They'd lock me up in a cage."

Katie nodded slowly "Yeah, you're right… I'm so sorry about this, it's so awful."

"It's okay, it's not your fault or anything." The older girl muttered.

The heat had sunk beneath her skin, bubbling in her veins now and Stella closed her eyes in relief. The worst was over, for now anyway. Getting to her feet, she offered her hand to her little sister, noting how Katie hesitated before taking it. That stung more than anything. Exiting the stall, Stella padded over to the sink, leaning down to rinse off her face with the cool water from the tap.

"So mom and dad don't know anything about this?"

With a shrug, the girls left the bathroom "I think they might have guessed. I couldn't hide that shit all the time. They never questioned me about it or took me to any sort of doctor though."

The bell rang, signaling lunch as they walked down the hallway "Are you going to go sit with your friends?"

Katie shook her head "Nah, I think I'll hang out with you. But let's eat outside or something, eating lunch with a loser could ruin my reputation." She teased.

Stella snickered and threw her arm over Katie's shoulders, pulling her in for a hug "You are such a little shit."


End file.
